1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus suitably employed in an image printing apparatus employing a printer connected in circuit over an interface conforming to the IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394 standard. This invention also relates to an image printing method and apparatus, an image printing system, an image printing method, and to a storage medium having stored therein an image processing and printing program.
2. Description of Related Art
The IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394 standard provides for the physical standard and the electrical standard for connectors for interconnection provided in respective equipments. The equipments provided with an interface pursuant to the IEEE 1394 standard are physically interconnected to realize e.g., the hot plug and play automatically executing high-speed digital data transmission/reception and connection setting between the respective equipments, such that the IEEE 1394 standard is widespread as the serial interface standard of the relevant technical field.
Moreover, this IEEE 1394 standard is widespread not only in the field of a computer but also as an interface interconnecting AV equipments. Specifically, when a STB (set top box), receiving the satellite broadcast to display the received broadcast on a television device, and a printer device, printing an image, are interconnected over an IEEE 1394 interface, the STB controls the printer apparatus using an FCP (function control protocol) and AV/C protocol. The STB and the printer device mount an FCP and an AV/C protocol, and operate in accordance with FCP and AV/C commands.
If, in the image printing apparatus, provided with a printer device, mounting the AV/C protocol and the FCP, interconnected over the conventional IEEE 1394 interface, and with a controller for controlling the printer device, a still image is to be printed, a setting item, defined by an operation mode (operation_mode_parameters), specifying the information for printing setting, is designated by the controller and stored in an asynchronous packet to have the still image printed by the printing device. At this time, the controller performs printing setting responsive to a user's request. This printing setting has been proposed in e.g., a publication entitled “1394 trade association TA document XXXXXX AV/C Printer Subunit Specification Version 1.0 Draft 0.5:145”.
Specifically, when the controller controls the printing by the printer device, the sizing information for setting the relative size of the image and the printing sheet in three steps of large, medium and small, the orientation information for setting the printing direction of the printing sheets, the information for setting the image printing position (posx, posy), the information specifying how many of the same images are to be printed in a printing sheet (multiple_tiled), the information specifying how many images are to be printed in one page (number_of_pic), and the information specifying how many copies are to be prepared (number_of_copies), are set by the user and included into an asynchronous packet, which is transmitted to the printing device for printing.
Heretofore, in a conventional printer device, connected to the computer, printing is made as a variety of modes, such as a picture quality priority mode or a speed priority mode, are set by a device driver installed on the side computer. The picture quality priority mode is such a mode in which image data of a fine resolution are prepared and sent to the printer device, whilst the speed priority mode is such a mode in which an image with a decreased data volume is prepared and sent to the printing device. If the device driver is used to set the mode, it is up to the computer side transmitting an image to prepare an image required to be printed, thus placing a severe load on the computer. Moreover, when an image is to be transmitted from a television receiver, such as a set top box, to the printer device, severe load is imposed similarly on the television receiver. The same applies for a personal computer recently developed to enable reception of the television broadcast.
In a DPP (direct printing protocol), well-known as a print protocol for IEEE 1394, the quality of an image that can be received on the side printer and that of the image that can be sent by the side computer are exchanged to determine the image to be transmitted or received. In this DPP, severe load is similarly imposed on the computer or on the set top box.
That is, when an image outputted by the set top box or the television receiver is transmitted to the printer device over the IEEE 1394 interface to print the image, severe load is imposed on the side controller of the set top box or the television receiver.